The next couple of months are going to busy and I am struggling to stay on track with the support group meeting on the first Saturday of each month. So please check the dates over the next few months as they may be subject to change. If you would like to come along to a meeting drop me an email/ contact me via Facebook or use the old fashioned telephone!​Group meetings run for an hour and light refreshment is provided - the meetings are free.Best wishes ​Emma

I am often asked a few questions before someone makes up their mind whether to come along to a meeting......Who will be there?​Is it all women or do men come along?​What happens at a meeting?

​This is the building where we meet - it is warm, cosy and comfortable.​The meetings are facilitated by Emma and Victoria​We generally have around 4 -8 people sometimes all couples and then other times a mix of couples and single men or women. We offer Tea of many types, coffee (decaffeinated available) and biscuits.​We try to start at 7pm although people often get lost so we generally aim to get going by 7.15pm.​The meetings aren't structured - we cover many topics (not always fertility related) The meetings are generally quite upbeat and chatty - and we don't ask you to hug any trees. ​We hope to make you feel very welcome when you visit.

Sometime ago I had a telephone conversation with a lady who was interested in coming along to our support group here in Bristol. As I chatted to the lady and as her story began to unfold my mind started to wonder as to where our conversation was going....As our conversation continued I realised that the lady was talking about a new challenge - that in my ignorance I had never considered. The time when your friends start to become Grandparents.

'Later it is a little difficult when your close friends start planning weddings for their off spring. The excitement of the event, then grandchildren etc, suddenly your close friend seems to have another dimension in their life, and the frequent coffee mornings are stopped. Child care becomes a big issue and days shopping with your friend becomes very infrequent. Again suddenly you can feel that you don't belong, and all your friends sit talking about the wonders of being grandparents and the immense joy it has brought into their life''.

I have been in touch with the lady today as I had been thinking of her and wanted to highlight her story - I think that it important to realise that this is a very real issue too ....I would like to thank her for her courage and kindness in allowing me to blog about her story.

Last words from our conversation ....

'I at last have adjusted as well as I can. I do have many interests and am active visiting people and supporting them when I can .I love talking and playing with children, and read stories to my God children's children and laugh at some of their funny comments.I am now content with my life and appreciate what I have.'

Are you struggling with secondary infertility? We are often contacted by people struggling with secondary infertility who would like to come along to the support group - but feel that it is not really tailored to their needs. I have set up a 'Secret Face Book Page' where I am hoping to build a community for people struggling with secondary infertility in the Bristol/North Somerset area. If you would like to be added to this group please contact me. It is not a support group but may develop into a meeting place that you can talk to others and arrange to meet each other for support.BristolFSG@outlook.com

We are really pleased that Fertility Specialist Mr Akande is coming along to our next support group meeting on Tuesday 3rd March. If you would like to come along please fill in the contact form on the contact us page.

Winter – from a Chinese perspectiveWinter in our western culture,is a season that has most recently brought disruption and chaos. Just think back to the floods in 2014, the snow in 2013. We have to deal with the dark mornings and dark afternoons– very few of us think about our Winter season with a sense of awe and appreciation. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, Winter is a beautiful season, bringing with it many teachings of how man can live in accord with nature.In the TCM theory, Winter is the deepest Yin time as opposed to the highest Yang time of Summer. Yin is dark, slow, and cold and turns inwards. Yang is light, warm, fast and turns outward. By being in accord with nature, we copy nature and so we may think about taking more rest, not exercising or partying so much, going to bed earlier, rising earlier and eating foods which are nutritious such as easily digestible stews and soups. All of the most important organs of the body have a correlation to nature in TCM and patterns of the organ systems are used to make sense of the body. In Chinese Medicine the Kidney system is connected to Winter. The Kidney system involves the physical Kidneys and the Bladder. One of the six important functions is to “Control Water” Too much water and we become bloated, too little water, we become dry. Just like our weather! The organ functions from a TCM perspective are very different to those in Western medicine.Another important TCM function is to “Store “Jing”. Jing is the essence we are born with. It is our life energy and we can over spend our energy. We can contribute to our Jing energy by resting through Winter, by gentle restorative exercise such as meditation, Tai Qi or Qi Gong and by eating appropriate foods and taking Chinese Herbs or vitamins and supplements.The TCM Kidney system also “Controls development and reproduction.” In my clinic, I focus on women who are trying to conceive their longed for family. They may be struggling to conceive naturally or having to undergoreproductive therapy such as IUI or IVF. Of course we are capable of conceiving throughout Winter but interestingly, I find my clients tend to conceive more from early Spring and through Summer and Autumn when the energy has increased and there is more light.Eating the appropriate foods is essential to contributing and conserving our Jing. Food as medicine is important in TCM, particularly as our diets have changed so much with seasonal foods now available all year round and with the use of pesticides which has made our food deficient in vital nutrients and vitamins. Avoiding cold, raw food such as salads, making sure vegetables are cooked or better, steamed to conserve their goodness. Other foods such as shrimp, mussels, walnuts, lamb, onions, radish, turnips, cinnamon, peppermint, and royal jelly should be given precedence.So, take the opportunity to relax. Winter means calming your mind, resting and building your energy with good exercise and good foods. By giving our bodies this time, we will literally spring up with the new plants, flowers and blossom, moving out of Winter completely revitalised.